Short answer

Designers must collaborate with innovation and management teams to ensure design strategies are aligned with and supported by the company's overall approach to circularity.

Field: Sustainability
Source: British Journal of Management (2025)
Method: Configurational approach using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA)
Evidence: Moderate effect

Firms can achieve higher levels of circularity by strategically configuring their design, innovation, and organizational approaches, rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all solution. This sustainability research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in British Journal of Management. Using Configurational approach using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsqca), researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers must collaborate with innovation and management teams to ensure design strategies are aligned with and supported by the company's overall approach to circularity.

Study

SustainabilityNew This WeekModerate effect

Circular Economy Strategies: A Configurational Approach to Design, Innovation, and Organization

Firms can achieve higher levels of circularity by strategically configuring their design, innovation, and organizational approaches, rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all solution.

British Journal of Management · 2025

Key Findings

01Four distinct firm-level configurations of circular economy strategies were identified.
02These configurations are characterized by specific combinations of design efforts, innovation strategies, and organizational capabilities.
03The interplay between these strategic elements is critical for achieving high levels of circularity.

Application

Design takeaway

Designers must collaborate with innovation and management teams to ensure design strategies are aligned with and supported by the company's overall approach to circularity.

How to apply

When developing a new product or redesigning an existing one with circularity goals, consider how the design choices will be supported by the company's innovation pipeline and operational structures.

Project actions

01When planning a design project focused on sustainability, consider the broader business context and how your design will be implemented and supported.
02Think about how your design choices can enable new business models or operational efficiencies that contribute to a circular economy.

Method & Evidence

AimHow can firms strategically configure their design, innovation, and organizational approaches to achieve high levels of circularity?

MethodConfigurational approach using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA)

ProcedureThe study analyzed empirical data from the Swedish wood construction industry to identify distinct configurations of CE strategies. It distinguished between CE design, innovation, and organizational strategies and examined how their interconnections enable different levels of circularity.

ContextSwedish wood construction industry

Variables

IV["Design strategies for circularity","Innovation strategies for circularity","Organizational capabilities for circularity"]

DVLevels of circularity achieved by firms

CV["Industry sector (wood construction)","Geographical location (Sweden)"]

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Provides a nuanced framework for understanding CE strategies.
+Uses a rigorous qualitative comparative analysis method (fsQCA).
+Offers actionable insights for managerial practice.

Limitations

The specific configurations identified may be unique to the industry studied, requiring adaptation for different product types or market sectors.

Reliability & validity

The use of fsQCA and empirical data from a specific industry provides a degree of empirical validity. Reliability would depend on the consistency of the data collection and interpretation of the qualitative data.

Think critically

To what extent can a 'one-size-fits-all' design approach be truly circular, or does successful circularity inherently depend on context-specific strategic configurations?

Design Principles

"Holistic strategic alignment is key to successful circular economy transitions."

Understanding how different strategic elements interrelate is crucial for developing effective circular economy transitions. This research provides a framework for designers and businesses to analyze and build tailored strategies that align design efforts with innovation and organizational capabilities for greater sustainability impact.

What This Means for Your Design

To make products more sustainable and less wasteful, companies need to think about how their design choices fit together with their new ideas and how their company is organized to support these changes.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this study when discussing the strategic considerations for implementing sustainable design solutions within a business context.
2.Use the concept of 'configurations' to analyze how different design choices might work best in conjunction with specific organizational or innovation strategies.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This research highlights that achieving high circularity requires a strategic, configurational approach, where design efforts are intricately linked with specific innovation strategies and organizational capabilities. For a design project, this means considering how the proposed design solutions will be supported by the company's broader strategic framework for sustainability and resource management, rather than treating design in isolation.

Source

British Journal of Management

Towards High Circularity: Reconfiguring Firm‐level Strategy

journal · 2025

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about circular economy strategies: a configurational approach to design, innovation, and organization?: Designers must collaborate with innovation and management teams to ensure design strategies are aligned with and supported by the company's overall approach to circularity. Evidence: British Journal of Management (2025).
Why does "Circular Economy Strategies: A Configurational Approach to Design, Innovation, and Organization" matter for design?: Understanding how different strategic elements interrelate is crucial for developing effective circular economy transitions. This research provides a framework for designers and businesses to analyze and build tailored strategies that align design efforts with innovation and organizational capabilities for greater sustainability impact.
How can designers apply this research?: Designers must collaborate with innovation and management teams to ensure design strategies are aligned with and supported by the company's overall approach to circularity.
What were the main findings?: Four distinct firm-level configurations of circular economy strategies were identified.. These configurations are characterized by specific combinations of design efforts, innovation strategies, and organizational capabilities.. The interplay between these strategic elements is critical for achieving high levels of circularity.
What research method was used?: Configurational approach using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2025 journal from British Journal of Management.
What should I do differently in my next project?: When developing a new product or redesigning an existing one with circularity goals, consider how the design choices will be supported by the company's innovation pipeline and operational structures.
What are the limitations?: The findings are specific to the Swedish wood construction industry and may not be directly generalizable to all sectors or geographical regions.